SUBMARINE MAST WAKE REDUCTION

TO AUGMENT THE STEALTH FEATURES OF THE SUBMARINE, INNOVATIVE METHODS OF MINIMIZING THE OBSERVABLES DUE TO THE SURFACE PIERCING MAST ARE PROPOSED. OBSERVATION TECHNIQUES INCLUDE VISUAL (EYBALL FROM SURFACE OR AIR) ELECTRO-OPTIC (TV) AND RADAR FROM SURFACE, AIR OR SPACE. OBSERVABLES IN THE OPTICAL WAVE LENGTHS INCLUDE SPRAY, FOAM, WAKES AND SURFACE WAVE PATTERNS. IT IS NOTED THAT MODERN TECHNIQUES EXIST TO VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE SURFACE WAVE MAKING WHICH WOULD THEN ELIMINATE ALL THE ABOVE OPTICAL OBSERVABLES BY APPLYING A SPECIALLY DESIGNED FAIRING TO MAST. RECENT RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT SPECIALLY CONTOURED HORIZONTAL FINS CAN THEORETICALLY ELIMINATE WAVE DRAG FROM A BODY OF FINITE DISPLACEMENT. THIS RADICAL AND INNOVATIVE CONCEPT WHICH WILL BE APPLIED HERE. IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN THAT MASSIVE ASPIRATION, SUCTION AT THE BOW AND BLOWING AT THE STERN, CAN MAKE A BODY EFFECTIVELY OF ZERO THICKNESS AND WAVELESS. THE FLOW FEATURES OF THESE FAIRINGS CAN BE DESIGNED AND PREDICTED WITH FAIR ACCURACY BY VARIOUS COMPUTER CODES. THE ASPIRATION METHODS ARE APPLICABLE OVER A CRUISE SPEED RANGE BY ACTIVE CONTROL OF ASPIRATION AS FROUDE NUMBER VARIES WHILE THE ANGLE OF ATTACK OF THE FIN MAY BE VARIED WITH SPEED FOR THE SAME PURPOSE. A THREE PART TECHNICAL PROGRAM IS PROPOSED INCLUDING: DEFINITION OF OBSERVABLES, DESIGN OF INNOVATIVE WAVELESS FAIRINGS, EVALUATION OF FAIRINGS AND SELECTION OF BEST CANDIDATES. PHASE II WILL INVOLVE THE ACTUAL TEST OF WAVELESS FAIRINGS.